An Unexpected Clash on the Terrace
"Haa... I knew it. No matter how long it's been, she's still terrifying."
— There's no child in this world who doesn't find their parents scary.
— Likewise, there's no parent who doesn't care for their child.
— The reason Madam is angry with Master is surely because she worries about you.
— She really is a caring mother~
"Caring, my ass... I don't think that's it. More importantly, that 'Insight' skill is seriously good. I want it too. How did she get it?"
— Why not ask her directly?
— I believe it only appears that way because Madam uses Insight so effectively.
— If Master were to use it...
— Wouldn't you simply take everything at face value?
"Ugh... Shut up. You guys just met my mom and you're already comparing notes way too much."
Ju Joyeon silenced his suddenly talkative summons and made his way toward what looked like a terrace. The place was quite dirty, as though no one had used it in a long time.
"It's a bit messy, but... this might actually be better. House, come out."
With a grinding sound, House rose from the ground in the form of a Morion Roach egg sac. Following Sosia's advice, Ju Joyeon decided to do what he could. The first step was reconnaissance.
"House, make as many as you can. Scout the hospital's interior layout and check the exterior for any hostile lifeforms."
— Acknowledged.
The top of the egg sac split open, and dozens—no, hundreds—of baby roaches poured out. Ju Joyeon kept going until dizziness from mana depletion set in, then told House to stop and slumped into a chair in the corner of the terrace.
"Huuu... Mana depletion never gets any easier."
— Still, your total mana has increased significantly compared to before.
— Don't you feel rewarded for pushing yourself so hard?
"Even so, I still get dizzy every time I use magic. It's too much of a burden unless you guys are watching over me. Will I ever reach a point where I don't run out of mana?"
— Magic is something one normally trains from childhood, but... come to think of it, one of your titles allows your stats to rise when you read forbidden books, doesn't it?
Jack, who had been giving rather pessimistic answers, asked about the forbidden books Ju Joyeon hadn't had time to look at since leaving the hideout.
"Oh, right. I still haven't read any of the books the boss gave me. Might as well read one now."
Reclining in the chair, Ju Joyeon pulled a thin forbidden book from his inventory and opened it.
"Let's see~ The title is— 'Does There Truly Exist a Thin Book That Satisfies Everyone...' What kind of nonsense is this?"
— ...Master, I don't believe there's any need to read such a book.
— You're still young, after all.
"What are you talking about? I'm an adult now."
— Ahem... Still, it's better than reading it in secret, isn't it?
— You're an adult now, after all~
What the hell are they going on about... Ju Joyeon slowly began reading the book whose title sounded profound yet somehow completely unserious.
****
"Master. Master! You'll catch a cold sleeping out here."
"Mmm... Mnya... Huh...? Lara...?"
Ju Joyeon, who had fallen asleep while reading, rubbed his eyes and looked around after coming to his senses. Lara Tiasia, who had gone to assist Sosia, had returned.
"Uh... Where's Mom?"
"She's finished resting and is preparing to return to the emergency room."
"Has that much time already passed...?"
A considerable amount of time had gone by. The sky had grown dark, and the temperature had dropped enough to feel chilly. Ju Joyeon hugged his own shoulders, where goosebumps had risen from the cold.
"Master, House has returned. It appears to have something to report."
"House?"
Tap. When something landed on the hand that had been holding his shoulder, Ju Joyeon's gaze shifted toward it. A single baby roach was perched on his shoulder.
"Uwah! Y-you startled me... What is it? What's going on?"
— Report.
"Huh? Report? Ah, right, I need to hear the report."
— Exterior. 102 small-sized beasts. Zero beasts larger than that.
"102... What do you mean by small-sized?"
— House defines small-sized as roughly five times the size of a baby roach. Likely small animals such as rats or rabbits.
"Ah, that level is... well, of course there'd be some. —Interior. Reconnaissance force, 80% losses."
"...Huh? What? 80%? I told you to move where you wouldn't be seen. Did you just wander around openly?"
— Negative.
"No? Then why... Was there bug spray or something?"
"I don't believe House would fall to something like insecticide. Perhaps there is someone highly skilled enough to detect House's presence."
"Is that so? That could happen. They do look like cockroaches, and cockroaches crawling around a hospital wouldn't be acceptable. Good work. For now, just recover the living ones."
— Underst—
House, which had been diligently forming letters, suddenly stopped and created different ones.
— Report. Interior reconnaissance force, 99% losses.
"Huh? Wait, why? Why are they all dying so suddenly?"
In response to Ju Joyeon's question, House quickly formed more letters. Ju Joyeon stared at them, assuming they were the answer.
— Returning force, annihilated. Pursuer detected.
"What does that even mean? A pursuer?"
House finished speaking, retrieved all the baby roaches that had been forming letters, and disappeared back into its mound without another word.
"Hey. Hey! What the— Why are you going back on your own..."
"You there."
Startled by an unfamiliar woman's voice while trying to call House back, Ju Joyeon turned around. Huh? That just now... didn't sound like the language of the magic world.
Ju Joyeon stopped calling for House and turned to face the woman who had called out to him.
"You shouldn't be outside at night. Come inside. Also, I saw bugs heading toward this terrace. Do you know anything about that?"
A clear, confident voice. Long hair in a rare shade of light pink seldom seen in Korea. In contrast to her colorful hair, she wore a simple white off-shoulder mini dress that clung to her body. Perhaps to complement the plain outfit, she wore an array of flashy accessories—necklaces, earrings, jeweled hair ornaments, bracelets, and anklets—along with colorful, fist-sized gemstones floating around her as if orbiting her.
She looked to be around Ju Joyeon's age and carried an aura that was neither quite modern human nor magic user.
"...Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
"......"
What is this? Even hearing it again, it's definitely not the magic world's language I've been hearing until now. Do any of you understand what she's saying?
— It's a language we've never heard before.
— It is not a language from our world.
— How strange. Neither Master nor we understand it.
— What could her identity be?
Is it some foreign language I don't know? But it doesn't sound like English, Chinese, or Japanese... Maybe Russian? No, if it were, the 'Language Translation' skill would've activated.
While conversing with his summons, Ju Joyeon simply stared blankly at the pink-haired woman. Seeing his behavior, she let out a sigh as if accustomed to such reactions.
"It's understandable to fall in love at first sight, but how about snapping out of it?"
"...Huh?"
Ju Joyeon came back to his senses at the absurd remark that felt like a slap to the head.
"Sorry, but let me make it clear so you can give up properly. I'm not looking to date anyone right now. I'd rather we not waste each other's time."
At the woman's words, which were clearly based on a misunderstanding, Ju Joyeon unconsciously muttered,
"Crazy woman."
****
"What? You, what did you just say?"
The woman, having heard Ju Joyeon's mumble, glared at him with a serious expression. Ju Joyeon hurriedly covered his mouth, his face showing regret.
"Aah. Sorry, my true thoughts slipped out."
Even while apologizing, he unconsciously made the situation worse with another remark.
"What did you just say? True thoughts? Did you just call me a crazy bitch?"
"I didn't say it that directly. And it's true that you're acting a bit strange, isn't it? Spouting nonsense at someone you've just met."
The situation was deteriorating exactly as one might have predicted.
"Nonsense? I was politely rejecting your feelings in the nicest way possible so you wouldn't feel bad."
"Feelings? You've got to be kidding me. When did I ever confess to you? You're definitely a weird woman."
"You were staring at me without being able to say anything because you fell for me!"
"What kind of nonsense is that... I was just spacing out while thinking! Do you think every guy in the world falls for you?!"
Their voices grew louder, and emotion began to seep into their tones.
"Isn't that obvious? Every guy I've met so far has fallen for me. The moment they see me, they stare just like you did, and when I talk to them, they blush and can't even speak properly."
"Ha?! Are you actually insane? Who would like a woman like you?"
"What?! Where in this world is there a woman prettier than me! Have you ever seen a woman prettier than me?! Have you ever seen a woman more charming than me?!"
"Right here. Lara! Come here."
Ju Joyeon pulled Lara Tiasia, who had been watching the situation from the side, into the conversation. With an awkward expression, Lara Tiasia hesitantly stood beside him.
"Look at this. Isn't she prettier than you?"
"M-Master? This doesn't seem like the right time for such comparisons..."
"Just stay quiet. You, answer me. Isn't she prettier than you?"
The pink-haired woman, who had been sharply glaring at Lara Tiasia, pursed her lips and gave a slight nod.
"She's quite a pretty unnie, sure. But not as much as me. Just look—her skin lacks moisture, doesn't it? If you neglect your skin just because it's naturally good, you'll regret it later."
"Are your eyes broken?! Even without moisture, this porcelain-white skin, her tall height, and perfect figure are more than enough! She's not short and stumpy like you!"
Lara Tiasia was nearly as tall as Ju Joyeon, who stood in the late 170cm range, whereas the pink-haired woman's height barely reached his chin.
"I-I'm not short and stumpy!! Our proportions are similar! If anything, my figure is the ideal one!"
"Hmph! That's just your opinion. And among my friends, there's one named 'Yeoju' who's way prettier than you. She's kind-hearted, was class president, and super popular too."
"How can you compare me to someone who isn't even here!"
Ju Joyeon and the pink-haired woman continued their childish argument, confirming they really were around the same age.
"The guys around you probably only fawned over you because they'd never met a truly beautiful woman before. Not me. Stop with the delusion that every man likes you and get lost, you megalomaniac."
"Y-you...! Come here!"
The woman's face flushed bright red with anger as she rushed toward Ju Joyeon. Though there was no space to run on the terrace, Ju Joyeon stood his ground, confident that Bone Armor would protect him even if she attacked.
"I'll fix those broken eyes of yours..."
Thud.
"Huk?!"
The woman, failing to notice a dip in the dirty floor, tripped and pitched forward at full speed.
Whoa. That's usually the kind of thing that happens to me.
Watching the pink-haired woman fall, Ju Joyeon briefly debated whether to catch her, then decided it would be good to put her in his debt for later. He stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from face-planting into the concrete.
The woman, saved from smashing her beautiful face thanks to Ju Joyeon, let out a sigh of relief as cold sweat ran down her back.
"Watch where you're going. That precious face of yours would've been flattened like a pancake."
"I-I don't enjoy things like this happening either!... Wait, this can't be the end, can it?"
Can't be the end? What else is supposed to happen now...
Clatter.
"Clatter?"
A sound came from above. Ju Joyeon looked up toward the source—and more than half his vision was suddenly covered by something pitch-black.
"Ah."
Whoosh!
Before Ju Joyeon could even process what was happening, the Book of the Dead from his inventory flew out and emitted a red light.
Pain's Chapter — Bone Armor
Ju Joyeon's vision was completely covered by pure white bones. Bone Armor had activated. Immediately afterward, something struck the armor and fell to the ground.
"Master! Are you alright? I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention to you..."
"What just fell?"
Paying no mind to Lara Tiasia's apology, Ju Joyeon was more interested in the object Bone Armor had blocked. Lara Tiasia picked up the fallen item and handed it to him.
"A flowerpot?"
A decorative ceramic pot that had been on the windowsill above had somehow fallen toward Ju Joyeon's head.
If Bone Armor hadn't been there, that would've been the end of me.
"L-let go!"
The pink-haired woman pushed Ju Joyeon away. Instead of thanking him, her action made Ju Joyeon flare up in anger.
"This woman...! What does having a pretty face matter if your personality is completely..."
Ju Joyeon stopped mid-sentence while yelling at her. Now that they were closer, he could see things that had been hidden by the darkness earlier—the flesh-colored bandages and wraps covering her entire body.
"What kind of injuries are these..."
"What is all this commotion about?"
Just as Ju Joyeon was about to ask, Sosia appeared on the terrace with an angry expression. She had been about to head to the emergency room when she heard the two arguing and came to investigate.
"Don't you know monsters become active at night? You should stay quiet."
At Sosia's glare, Ju Joyeon floundered, unsure how to explain.
"...You'd better explain exactly what's going on here. Arty."
The pink-haired woman, addressed as Arty by Sosia, nodded and headed back inside the hospital. Ju Joyeon, too, silently followed her in, shoulders hunched under Sosia's piercing gaze, already anticipating a scolding.